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Happy Black Friday!
Do you go shopping on Black Friday? How do you feel about retailers starting Black Friday on Thanksgiving Day?
For me, it kind of ruins it. When my kids were little and I wanted to get them a major gift like a bike or a guitar or other large purchase, Black Friday saved me so much money. I lost sleep, but I did get some good deals. It was fun for me to wake up super early while everyone was still sleeping and sneak out for some maniac Christmas shopping. I haven't really needed to shop like that for awhile now that my kids are older and since they put some of the best deals on Thanksgiving when I am trying to enjoy family time, I don't participate as much in Black Friday as I used to. Besides, now in the cyber space age, we can get great gifts online and have them delivered to our door without even paying shipping. (Thank you Amazon Prime!)

Thinking about Black Friday shopping got us all thinking about some of the favorite gifts we have received over the years. The fun thing is that some of them were purchased items and some were homemade, but all of them touched our hearts in some way. We thought that maybe you could be looking for just the perfect gift for someone and maybe some of our Friday Faves will give you an idea that you hadn't thought of before. So, here goes!

Gifts Kids Can Make & Give:

One of the gifts Alicia remembers and still has is a poem that Lindsey wrote for her and framed. Then, she decorated the frame. She was sad because she wrapped it before the paint was dry and that messed up her artwork. But, Alicia didn't mind and she loved that her big sister wrote the poem for her and framed it. Those $1.00 frames you can get at Michael's or Walmart would be perfect for this project.

I had some left over metal beaters from an old handheld mixer. My son Tyler, a young boy at the time, asked me if he could have them. I gave them to him, not knowing why, but on Christmas morning I discovered that he had gotten help from his dad and turned them into a wind chime for me! I thought that was very clever! Kids could use old silverware or other items to create a work of art. Here is a similar idea using an old cheese grater!

Maddy loves the mug Alicia decorated for her with Sharpies.

I have a collection of bird houses, and one of them is one my son built for me. Later on, his own children painted some small bird houses to add to the collection. These are favorite gifts that I have received because they make me think of my son and his family when I look at them.

When Madalynn was little, she took a scrap piece of wood and painted me a Nativity Scene on it. It is my favorite Nativity of all. Her dad put a hinged stand on it so I can display it on a shelf.

One of the best places to take your kids shopping for Mom and Dad or siblings is to Dollar Tree. One of the most useful gifts that I use everyday is a gift I received a number of years ago from my youngest son. It was a pill minder to hold my meds and vitamins that I take daily. He got me one with giant letters that we tease about because it seemed like he thought I was losing my eyesight already! There are a lot of little things like that at Dollar Tree that kids can get as meaningful gifts.

When my oldest son was 3 years old, he got me a pair of slippers for Christmas. He was so excited! He couldn't keep from telling me what he got me. It was one of those memories that I will always cherish. It is so much fun to teach your children the joys of gift giving! This time of year, slippers are easy to find at reasonable prices. Here are some at Dollar Tree! Here are a lot of choices at Target!

It is fun for kids to give gifts that they feel like are super beautiful and special. When my oldest daughter was in about 2nd grade, she found a charm bracelet watch for me that she just had to splurge on and get for me. She was so excited to get it for me. My husband gave me the heads up that LIndsey was super excited about the gift she had gotten for me so that I would be sure to notice her excitement when I received her gift. So, I watched her face on Christmas morning as I opened the gift. She was so happy when I opened it and told her how much I loved it. What a thoughtful little girl she was to want to make her mommy so happy. The watch doesn't fit me or work anymore, but I still treasure it in my jewelry box.

Large Ticket item Gifts for Kids:

Maddy remembers her Barbie Doll House with a doorbell that rang and a dog that barked! Here is a good buy for one on Amazon, not like her's, but very nice!

Lindsey remembers getting her keyboard (similar). It was so much better for her to practice piano on that the little one we had before it. She is now a wonderful pianist! So, it was a great choice! We also have gotten guitars and harmonicas for other kids. We always loved to encourage their talents. Also consider art supplies and sports equipment.

Bikes, scooters and roller blades have been received with joy!

A sewing machine. Alicia still uses the one we gave her when she was in high school. There are many to choose from on Amazon, but a simple one like this is good to get a young sewer started.

More Great Gifts for Kids of All Ages:

Alicia pointed out to me that she always loves to get books and journals. I think we all love books as gifts. We have posted about some of our favorites here and books for kids here. We even have a post dedicated to Christmas books!

​Last year, my family pitched in and got me a Kitchen Aid and I have been loving it ever since! Plus, my son and DIL gave me a Cocoa Grande machine which I love! Perfect for a Hot Cocoa bomb maker like me! (Best price at Walmart, but currently out of stock.)

Alicia found me my favorite Christmas dishes by Debbie Mum. I love using them every year! She also hand painted me some Christmas glasses! They are so awesome because she knows how I love to set my table nicely for the holidays. I could kick myself because last year I forgot to pull them out! That won't happen this year.

As we have gone through our memories to think of the favorite things we have received, I also think of the little school ornaments each child has made us, the poems they have written, the songs they have sung and my heart warms as I think of them. I could go on and on with our favorites. I find it kind of cool that we didn't really mention video games or other electronics, except the keyboard, on our list. We have spent some fun family times with those things though, so I am not discounting them. It just goes to show that gifts are great and we love to give and get them, but it is the time that we spend together and the memories we make that makes Christmas special!
I hope our faves have given you some ideas if you have been stumped! What have your favorite past gifts to give and get been? We would love to hear your stories. And, if you are doing Black Friday shopping, have fun and good luck!

What a helpful post! I especially like the gifts that kids can make to give. The idea of a framed poem is so lovely. And how lucky you were to receive a Kitchen Aid. I agree, they are amazing! Thank you so much for sharing with us at the Hearth and Soul Link Party. Sharing on Twitter later today. Have a wonderful weekend!

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Author

Helen Reynolds: Mother of six children , grandmother to ten and counting! I love to cook, craft and create things and I especially love doing that with my family, So, when my lawyer daughter, Lindsey, and my artist daughter, Madalynn, and I came up with the idea of Hot Cocoa Bombs, this blog was born. Then, one more daughter, with her technical and science skills, plus creativity has joined in to round us out! Read more about us here!

Click this link and visit 3WinksDesignShop on Etsy. Find our Hot Cocoa Bomb Idea Book, our For the Love of PIe e-book and more of our creations!